Lee Adama, This Is Your Afterlife
by Denaliyasha
Summary: Post finale, companion/semi-sequel to Finding the Way.  The afterlife doesn't give a frak about your insecurities, as Lee finds out.  Lee/Kara.


Disclaimer: Words and idea are mine, everything else isn't.

A/N: Okay, so this is Lee's side of the same kind of situation from "Finding the Way." Not sure if there will be a part 3. I hope you're all enjoying this, _please_ review, and in case anyone is interested, I take requests for fics. Just PM me.

**Lee Adama, This Is Your Afterlife**

He thinks he's lived a good life, when it comes down to it. He's explored the way he wanted to, though maybe not as extensively as he would have had she been with him. Every fall he stopped wherever he was and built himself a cabin, laying it out the way he remembered her describing her ideal house on New Caprica. It seems like everything he does has something to do with her.

He doesn't interact with anyone. He never passes his father's place, and he goes the other way if he sees other groups of settlers. He ran into Caprica and Baltar, once, early on, and learned a few things about that first Colonial Day that nearly killed him to hear. That was when he decided that he was better off by himself. He still talks to her, though, even though she isn't around to hear him.

When he finally gets around to death, it isn't as worrisome as he had thought it might be. There is no pain, no fear, just the sort of fade-out effect that he'd seen in some movies before the worlds ended. Surprisingly enough, that's where he finds himself: before the worlds ended, standing on a street corner somewhere, unsure of what exactly he is supposed to be doing.

"Hello, big brother." Zak waves at him cheerfully as he makes his way down the block towards him. "I see you need a little help with the directions."

"Zak?" He takes a step forward and notes, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he is again the same age as he was the the last time he saw his brother. "Where is this?"

"Where does it look like?" There is a brief hug, then Zak steps back to look Lee in the eye. "You're dead, bro."

"I hadn't noticed." He tries for sarcasm, but it doesn't come out very well. He figures it's probably because he's a little confused. "But where exactly are we?"

"This is the afterlife," Zak intones in a melodramatic voice, then adds, "Well, yours in particular."

"So why are you here then?"

His brother reels back, a hand on his heart in mock hurt. "What, you don't want to spend eternity with me?"

Lee flushes slightly, but finds himself answering, "I guess I thought if these things are personalized, you'd be with Kara, not running around in mine."

"Ah yes, Kara." Zak puts a hand on Lee's arm and starts walking, pulling him gently down the street. "You know, brother, she was the first girl I ever loved enough to introduce to you. Well, the only one, really. The others you met, that was usually group things, do you remember? Kara was the only one I made you dress up to meet."

"I know." He wonders if it's possible for his heart to break any more than it did when he turned around on that hillside and found himself alone. "I remember."

"And I told you, that night, not to steal her, remember?"

"Yes." He consoles himself with the thought that at least he did one thing right, even if he nearly failed.

Zak drags them to a halt and turns to face him. "Gods, Lee, why the frak did you listen?"

"Excuse me?"

"You love me, Lee. I always knew that. You protected me when we were growing up, and you did your best to protect me later. Don't you think the fact that you were willing to sleep with my girlfriend on the table while I was passed out on her couch was an indication of something bigger than attraction?"

"I was drunk, Zak, and so was she."

"Kara holds her liquor a lot better than you realize, Lee, and even drunk you wouldn't have done that to me if you hadn't already been in love with her on some level." They begin walking again, and Lee can't decide whether or not he's glad for the distraction of his feet hitting the pavement.

"Zak, Kara and I..."

"Are beyond meant for each other, Lee. I loved her, and she loved me, but my cosmic purpose, if you will, was to put you two in the same room."

This time it's Lee who stops them. "So what, you died because since we'd met, there was no point to your existence?"

"No, I died because I couldn't pilot the plane I was in, but I do believe I met Kara so she could find you and you could find her." A twisted smile pulls at his lips. "Though it was handy that I died, because since I'd already proposed to her, she would never have broken up with me for you, and we all would have ended up miserable."

"Zak..."

"No, it's true. When she died in that storm, and again on Earth, the second one, she came here."

"What do you mean, here?"

"I mean, _here_, Lee. This specific version of the city, in this time period. She went back to the night we had you over for dinner, and she went back to waiting for you to show up." Zak gestures at the building in front of them, and Lee suddenly recognizes the apartment building he'd nearly driven past on accident all those years ago. "She's been waiting, Lee."

"I thought you said this was my afterlife." He's a little desperate now, because this seems to good to be true and he's spent so long hating himself for what he nearly did to his brother, the person who meant more to him than anyone... except for the woman he nearly did it with.

Zak laughs at him. "You're the same person, Lee. One soul, one heart, two bodies. Whatever divine plan brought this whole thing together, it never intended for you to be apart. This is just the correction." He gives Lee a gentle shove towards the door. "Go on. You remember the apartment number, don't you?"

"Yes, but... where are you going? Aren't you coming up?"

"My happiness is somewhere else. Don't worry about other people for once, worry about yourself. Take a leaf out of her book and just fly by instinct this time." The push this time is a little harder. "She's been waiting for years, Lee, worried you might not remember the way. Prove her wrong, yeah?"

"Am I going to see you again?" He wants so badly to go into that building, to make his way to the apartment whose number he's found himself carving onto the door of every cabin he's ever built, but he can't quite let go of Zak yet.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I will fit here, once you're together. But if I do, I'll try." And with that, Zak walks off down the street, whistling softly.

He's not conscious of his feet moving, really, but somehow he's in front of her door, and his hand is lifting to knock.


End file.
